Specialty Coffee in the Home Michael McNeil Forbes
Outline What is coffee? Tasting Home Brewing Methods: Immersion Methods Filter Methods Pressure Methods Seattle Coffee Tour and Equipment
Coffee: Species Coffea Arabica (Arabica) Most specialty coffee is 100% arabica Coffea Canephora (Robusta) More robust plant Used in commodity coffee (instant coffee for example) Higher caffeine levels but inferior flavour Occasionally added to espresso for crema stability Others (rarely seen)
Coffea Arabica Many varietals Think wine: Cabernet, Merlot, etc. Flavour profile influence Regions and varietals Processing wet vs dry, fermentation Roasting Brewing
Coffea Arabica: Origins Latin America Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama... Arabia and Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania... Pacific Hawaii, Indonesia, Java, Papua New Guinea, Sumatra...
Coffea Arabica: Sample Characteristics Kenya: Robust complex flavours, but not very balanced very interesting, but generally not my preference Ethopia: Strong top notes (floral and citrus) quite sensitive to brewing conditions Central America (Costa Rica esp.) Well balanced, clean not as interesting, but balance can be stunning, esp. after a few sips
Coffea Arabica: Discussing Flavour One of the most complex flavours Over 800 aroma compounds Flavour notes caramel, chocolate, citrus, earthy, floral, fruity, herbal, nutty (esp. espresso), etc. I use musical analogies and mouth-feel High notes (fruity, floral, sour) Low notes (earthy, chocolate, bitter) Where is my tongue stimulated?
Tasting Coffee Aroma Taste espresso immediately to savour volatile components! Flavour See scaa Coffee Cupper s Handbook Acidity High acidity good neat Low acidity better with milk Balance Does it excite all parts of your tongue? Mouthfeel Smooth, gritty, clean What parts of your tongue are stimulated? Aftertaste Is the coffee clean or does it linger?
Storing Coffee (Roasted) Coffee degrades rapidly Use ground coffee within minutes Use whole beans within weeks Prevent oxidation Air-tight bags (one-way valve to release CO2) No moisture Long term storage? Deep-freeze individual servings Aging coffee? Occasionally a coffee will age well (on
Home Roasting? A reasonable option if you don t have good local roasters: Green stores longer Green beans cheaper (~half ) than roasted coffee Cons: Introduces one more variable
What makes coffee good? Many variables must be controlled Better to ask...
What can make coffee bad? Fruit quality Under/over ripe cherries Processing Mold, fungi during fermation, poor storage,... Roasting Burnt coffee, uneven roast
What can make coffee bad? Brewing: Bad water Chlorine, improper mineral content, bad taste... Burnt beans (bad grinders) Blade grinders can be bad for this Under/over extraction Brew time, inconsistent grind Water temperature Old coffee
Brewing Methods
Immersion Methods French Press AeroPress Clover Clever Dripper Turkish/Greek
French Press (Plunger) Full immersion Scalable Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation
French Press (Plunger) Pros Cons Scalable Consistent Somewhat messy Sediment ( dirty ) Full immersion of coffee Full body (pick up bloom) Can masks subtle flavours
French Press Variations Spoon off bloom Filter after brew Agitation
Clover Temperature control Metal filter Full immersion Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation
Clover Pros Flavour clarity No masking by bloom Consistency Cons Expensive ($13000) No longer available: Starbucks owns Lacks body Temperature/brew time
AeroPress Full immersion Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation
AeroPress Consistent Pros Full immersion of coffee Cons One cup at a time Plastic? Adjustable body Inverted vs normal, metal vs paper Easy to clean Inexpensive Portable
Turkish/Greek Coffee Full immersion Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation Very consistent at high altitude
Pour-over Methods Melita Hario v60 Chemex Clever Dripper Hario Woodneck Cloth filter
Pour-over (Hario v60) Manually pour water Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation Pouring technique
Pour-over (Hario v60) Pros Clean cup (no sediment) Adjustable body Easy cleanup Inexpensive Inconsistent Cons Depends on pouring technique Uneven extraction Top grounds under-extracted One cup at a time
Chemex Custom filter Very clean cup Brew several cups Beautiful glass design Can get metal filters Kaffeologie, Coava Kone
Clever Coffee Dripper Full immersion Variables: Coffee weight Grind size Water temperature Brew time Agitation
Clever Coffee Dripper Consistent Pros Full immersion of coffee Cons One cup at a time Plastic? Adjustable body Easy to clean Inexpensive Portable
Pressure Extraction Moka-pot Vacuum pot (siphon) Espresso
Moka-pot (Bialetti Brika) Stovetop Espresso Not really espresso Pressure (~2 bar) Variables: Grind size Distribution Cannot tamp, making even distribution tricky Great for cappuccino
Vacuum Pot (Siphon) Immersion with filter Vacuum draws water through filter
Espresso Espresso is a 45ml (1.5 ounces) beverage that is prepared from 7-9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 192f - 198f (88c - 92c) has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, where the grind of the coffee has made the brewing flow time approximately 22-28 seconds. SCAA definition 2010
Espresso Espresso = Pressure not Expresso (speed)! Extracted at 9bar Extracts oils non water-soluble components Doppio Ristretto shots Less caffine than brewed coffee Aromatic components Drink immediately! Within 30s to 1min from extraction Great espresso can be sweet (without sugar)! Usually a blend Single Origin (so) shots becoming popular.
Coffee Cupping Like wine tasting Used to evaluate coffee Light roast to expose defects and flavours Standardized brewing method
Seattle Cuppings Stumptown on 12th Every day at 3pm Victrola on Pike Wednesdays at 11am
Coffee Resources: Web coffeegeek.com Huge resource: equipment reviews, forums, discussions about all aspects of coffee www.home-barista.com Forums about home roasting, etc. www.coffeeresearch.org Good collection of articles about the science of coffee www.coffeed.com Forums www.sweetmarias.com Equipment: grinders (incl. manual), brewers, roasters. Green beans: (home roasting specialists) www.scaa.org Specialty Coffee Association of America Intelligentsia brew guides tehcoffee.com Reviews of local baristas and shops
Coffee Resources: Book Michaele Weissman: God in a Cup Interesting story about the business of 3rd wave coffee Scott Rao: Everything but Espresso Great technical discussion of brewing David Schomer: Espresso coffee: Professional Techniques Local pioneer of precision espresso
Acknowledgements Unless otherwise stated, images used with permission from Sweet Maria s: www.sweetmarias.com I have learned much of what I know from various Seattle baristas, esp. from Zoka, Trabant, and Milstead & Co. Special thanks to Andrew Milstead for comments and advice.